THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 
Roosevelt Road and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago 5, Ill. 
Number 127 September, 1968 
THE PRESIDENT’'S PAGE 
By Raymond Mostek 
Water Pollution — America’s number one natural resource problem, and 
number one disgrace, is finally getting more and more attention. The 
situation has not yet prompted front page headlines, but more space is 
given to it in newspapers, magazines feature articles on pollution, paper- 
back books on water are enjoying wide circulation. 
What is even more important is that citizens are becoming more aware 
of the problem, and translating it into personal terms. They recognize 
that water pollution is destroying sources of supply for home and industry; 
they see beaches closed to swimming; boating in some areas made less 
popular, and fishing almost destroyed. People know water is needed for life 
itself; over two-thirds of the human body is water, and the normal person 
cannot live more than ten days without fluids. 
The Illinois Audubon Society is one of three state-wide organizations 
participating in a live-wire group called the Illinois Clean Streams Com, 
mittee. It is headed by Robert Buzard of 606 East Ninth St., Sterling, Il. 
Our representative on this committee and Chairman of our liaison unit is 
Thomas Brodene, of 9959 So. Wallace St., Chicago. The state committee 
has been forming clean streams groups all over Illinois. In a few months, 
21 counties have organized clean streams committees under their sponsor- 
ship. Many more are planned. 
On a stormy night in July, some of us rode out to Geneva in Kane 
County to organize a new clean streams committee for that area. We 
expected five persons; instead there were over 35, including newsmen, 
photographers, and two state representatives. The DuPage County Clean 
Streams Committee, under the leadership of Edward Swanson of 4140 
Elm Street, Downers Grove, Ill., had a large display at the DuPage County 
Fair in July which attracted a great deal of attention. This group holds 
regular monthly meetings at the Bank of Oakbrook. The Cook County 
Clean Streams Committee has been organized for many years and is the 
model on which others are based. 
Another cheering note is the introduction of S. 1183 in Congress by 
Senators Neuberger and Nelson, long known for their championing of 
conservation causes. The bill would require that “synthetic detergents 
manufactured for use in the U.S.A. or imported for use in the U.S.A, 
comply with certain standards of decomposability.” Such detergents have 
already been developed in West Germany and will be required there by 
Dec. 31, 1964. 
Though the tide may be running in favor of this bill, there is no 
assurance that it will pass in a breeze. American families who no longer 
wish to gamble with impure surf, who feel that pure water is no longer 
a luxury, and are concerned about the detergents they see in their streams, 
will be writing their congressmen and senators to insure passage of the 
